Palestine Action Suomi - a Bona Fide Actor or False Flag Organization?

In Finland, there is an activist group called Palestine Action Suomi. Previously, it has terrorized, at least, the buildings of Finland’s Ministry of Defence, Allianz Trade Suomi and the Nammo company by defacing their entrances with red paint. Now the group has also targeted the entrance of the Patria company with paint.

Frankly, I find myself puzzled by the motives behind this group’s activities. Most clearly, they seem to amount to supporting the terrorism practiced by Hamas, since the group’s own actions are criminal and— as I noted at the outset— amount to terrorizing Finnish companies.

In a sense, this is logical, because the Palestinians’ own plight is largely due to terrorism as well. I am thinking in particular of the fact that after the long-time Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat rejected in 2000 an already-agreed treaty on establishing a Palestinian state comprising the West Bank and Gaza, rocket and other terrorist attacks resumed from Palestinian territories into Israel— culminating in the October 7, 2023 attack that ignited the current war.

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Palestine Action Suomi claims to be advocating for the Palestinian cause, but I really wonder how they think their actions could increase support for that cause among Finns. Wouldn’t their vandalistic attacks on Finnish companies rather decrease it?

Of course, it could be a so-called false flag group, whose real purpose is not to promote Palestinian support but instead to work on behalf of Israel. In that case, Palestine Action Finland would only pretend to champion the Palestinian cause, while in reality seeking to damage the public image of the Palestinians and their supporters.

If that were the case, however, one would expect ordinary people who are positively inclined toward the Palestinians to expose such a false flag operation. Since I have not noticed that happening, I suppose I must also conclude that this is simply a pro-Palestinian group resorting to senseless methods.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
When Demands Become Damage
Organized Vandalism in Helsinki, Finland
Gambling Addiction and the Shadowy Instigator

Gambling Addiction and the Shadowy Instigator

Probably every one of us knows what a compulsive gambler is like. A person who plays games of chance, losing again and again. Yet they imagine that luck might turn if they just play one more round — or two — and that they might win back the money they've lost.

This came to mind when I read the news that Israel announced the establishment of 22 new settlements in the West Bank. And the country’s defense minister even spoke of turning the area into a Jewish state.

And no, I didn’t mean that Israel, its defense minister, or the Jewish citizens of the country were the compulsive gamblers in this story — rather, the Palestinian Arabs. In 1947, they would have received about half of what is now the territory of Israel. But this was not acceptable to them, and they decided to take a gamble.

That meant launching a war, with the help of surrounding Arab countries, with the aim of driving the Jews into the sea. As part of that effort, Palestinian Arabs were asked to leave their homes, resulting in a large number of Palestinian refugees who have since been barred from returning to Israeli territory.

In the years that followed, several wars broke out between Israel and Arab states. The plight of the Palestinians was not always the direct cause, but in most cases, it was at least a background factor.

Then came the years 1993–2000, during which the Oslo peace process offered the Palestinians the possibility of an independent state comprising the West Bank and Gaza. However, their leader Yasser Arafat refused to sign the agreement that had been reached — because he wanted borders based on the 1947 plan. And so, once again, he and the Palestinians he led decided to roll the dice and continued down the path of various terrorist acts.

As my esteemed readers know, Palestinian terrorists were especially "successful" in their October 2023 attack, which led to Israel taking control of the Gaza Strip. As a result, Israel recently even threatened to evacuate its entire population.

And now, most recently, came the defense minister’s comment about the West Bank: “we will build the Jewish-Israeli state on the ground.” If that plan goes through, the situation would resemble that of a typical compulsive gambler who has already lost all their money, their spouse has left, the job is gone, and even the house is about to be sold off to pay the debts.

So what the Palestinians do in this situation? Well, like all other compulsive gamblers, they naturally decide to play one more round in a game where they, in reality, have virtually no chance of winning — except in the imagination of the compulsive gambler. 

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Incidentally, perhaps the greatest harm to the Palestinians has been done by Western leftists, Greens, and feminists who have, year after year, supported them ever more fervently. Without this constant encouragement, reason might have prevailed even in the mind of a compulsive gambler.

The massive shows of support may have appeared to Palestinian leaders as signs of hope — that although the fronts keep delivering defeat after defeat, perhaps a power shift in the West might someday bring Western countries to their aid.

And maybe, after enduring all that I’ve described above, they might still hit the jackpot — and drive the Jews into the sea. Isn’t that a possibility to believe in, especially when Palestinian flags and banners with clear slogans like “from the river to the sea” wave ever more prominently on Western university campuses, streets, and squares?

In other words, the pro-Palestinian activity in the West resembles a scene from a Western movie, where the shady backroom figure running the saloon’s card table keeps urging the stranger to stay in the rigged game until he’s lost his last dollar.

Unfortunately for the Palestinians, it seems to be too difficult for the Western left, Greens, and feminists to understand this. And there is no noble hero riding into the saloon to shoot the cheating card shark and the filthy-rich saloon owner.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
How Hamas Exploited Aid and Lost the Support of Many Palestinians
What Would It Take to Make Peace in the Holy Land?
Why Hamas Is Unwilling to Give Up Its Weapons

Hassan Nasrallah Has Been Killed, but Lebanon Is Unlikely to Become the Switzerland of the Middle East Again

Israel announced yesterday that it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon. Thus, once again, evil has been punished.

Unfortunately, it seems that this does not mean the complete destruction of Hezbollah, although it may lead to confusion and internal power struggles within the group for some time. And in this case, perhaps for a long time, since the armed forces of the Jewish state have already eliminated a large portion of Hezbollah's leadership.

It is clear that all of this will have repercussions throughout Lebanon. And certainly not in a positive way, at least if the country’s history continues on its current trajectory.

Like Israel, Lebanon has a long history, starting with the Phoenician seafaring people, followed by occupations by various states, and eventually gaining independence after World War II. At first, things looked promising, as the new nation’s economy grew rapidly after the war, thanks to the booming oil trade and financial services in Arab countries.

Even in the 1960s, Beirut and its surroundings became wealthy due to tourism and banking, and Lebanon became known as the "Switzerland of the Middle East" while Beirut was dubbed the "Paris of the Middle East." But then, at the very end of the decade, a fateful and catastrophic mistake occurred. In November, Lebanon's army commander Emile Boustany and the chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Yasser Arafat, agreed that the Palestinians could establish camps in Lebanon.

From that point onward, the country took a downward spiral, culminating in a full-scale civil war in the spring of 1975. On one side were the Christian Phalangists, and on the other were the recently displaced Palestinians – who had been expelled from Jordan not long before.

The fighting spread across the entire country, with Palestinian forces joining the Lebanese leftist Muslims. Eventually, in June 1976, Syrian troops were called into the country, which brought peace to Beirut. However, the fighting continued in southern Lebanon, where Palestinians launched rockets into northern Israel, provoking the Israelis to launch military attacks in 1978 and again four years later, with support from Lebanon’s Christian forces.

As a result of all this, Lebanon’s own army eventually collapsed, and since then, the country has been in a state of disarray, with Syria meddling in its affairs. At the same time, Lebanon has also grown closer to Iran, from which Hezbollah—remotely controlled by Tehran—has developed into a significant and popular organization over the past decade, ensuring the persistence of chaos and continuous provocations against Israel.

The driving force behind all this has been the growing Muslim population, which has overtaken that of the Christians. Today, 32% of the country’s inhabitants are Christians, 32% are Sunni Muslims, 31% are Shia Muslims, 5% belong to other Islamic sects, and the rest adhere to various other religions. A return to being the Switzerland of the Middle East is not on the horizon.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Hezbollah Uses Human Shields While the Green-Left Looks Away
How Will Israel Benefit on the Explosions of Hezbollah's Communication Devices?
A new Government for Israel, but why doesn´t it solve anything?